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Keepingacleanhome
Keepingacleanhome
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Keeping Your Home Clean Vocabulary
Bedbugs
Why is it important to keep your home clean? Disinfectant
Dust Mites
It can be hard to keep your home clean. It may also be Mold
hard to find the time to clean if you and others in the home
are busy working or going to school. But, a dirty home can cause health problems. Many things
such as pests, bacteria, mold, and dust, can build up in the home if you do not keep it clean. They
can make you sick. See the picture below.
Bedroom:
Bathroom:
Bedbugs
Bacteria
Dust
Insects
Dust mites
Mold
Mold
Here are some examples of how bacteria, mold, and pests may affect the heath of the people that
live in the home:
Bathroom: Carlos does not wash his hands after using the bathroom every time. He does not
clean the bathroom either. Bacteria that grow in the bathroom get into Carlos’ hands,
eyes or skin. The bacteria can make him sick.
Living Room: Carlos has carpet, curtains, and an old couch full of dust and mold in his living room.
When Carlos sits on the couch, his eyes and throat start itching. He is allergic to dust
mites and mold.
Kitchen: Carlos forgets to take out the trash every night. Mice and cockroaches get into his
kitchen looking for food in the trash. The urine and feces (poop) from mice and
cockroaches have bacteria. If the urine or feces get into Carlos’ hands, eyes or
mouth he might get sick.
Bedroom: Carlos has bedbugs inside his pillows and bed sheets. At night, they bite Carlos.
Carlos wakes up in the morning with little red bumps on his arms or legs. They itch a
lot during the day while he is working. They become infected as he scratches them.
Other problems can come from pesticides and fertilizers. The people that live in your home may have
pesticides or fertilizers on their shoes and clothes. People in the home, especially children, can get
very sick if pesticides or fertilizers get on their skin. They can also breathe them in.
How can I keep my home clean?
It is a good idea that everyone living in the home help to clean it. All of you should talk
about what each person is going to do to keep the home clean. Then decide when to do all
of these chores. You can also do this if you live with friends or other workers. For example,
you should sweep, take out the trash, and wash the dishes and countertops every day.
Here are some more tips for keeping every room in your home clean:
Bathroom Bedroom
Wipe the counters, sinks and faucets with a Wash bed sheets and pillow cases in very
disinfectant at least two times a week. hot water once a week.
Clean the toilet and shower/bathtub with a Vacuum and dust your furniture at least
disinfectant at least once a week. every two weeks.
Clean more often if someone in the home is If you see bedbugs, wash your sheets,
sick with a cold or flu. blankets and pillow cases in very hot water.
Then put them in the dryer set on high. Put
items that cannot get wet, like shoes, in the
dryer. Run it on high for 30 minutes.
Living Room Kitchen
Sweep wood and tile floors every day. Use a disinfectant to clean counter tops,
Vacuum carpet and curtains once a week. tables, and stove before and after cooking.
Vacuum couches and dust furniture at least Wash the dishes every day.
every two weeks. Wash cleaning towels and sponges often.
Clean out your fireplace, especially the Take the trash out every night.
ashes if you use it often.
Keep pesticides or fertilizers from getting into the home. Take your shoes off before
coming in the home. Keep your work clothes in an area away from your other
clothes and away from other people. Wash your work clothes as soon as possible.
Wash your work clothes by themselves. Then run the washer again with no clothes
in it. This will make sure the pesticides do not get on the rest of the laundry.
Bedbugs: These are small, brown and oval shaped insects that eat the blood of animals or humans.
After they eat blood, their bodies swell. They turn into a reddish color. They do not make you
sick, but they can make your skin very itchy.
Disinfectant: A cleaning substance that kills bacteria and viruses like chlorine. You can buy disinfectants as
a spray, liquid, powder, or wet wipes.
Dust Mites: These are very small insects that eat the flakes of dead skin from animals or people. They live
in places like pillows and mattresses. You cannot see them with your eyes. They can cause
asthma and allergy problems.
Mold: A type of fungi (very small living things) that grow on food that is getting old. They also grow in
humid, dark places such as bathrooms and closets. Mold can make you sick if you breathe or
eat a lot of it.
Keeping Your Home Clean
Lesson Plan
NOTE TO INSTRUCTOR: To accommodate the literacy levels and educational experiences of the
participants, oral and/or group activities may be substituted for reading, writing, skills practice,
and survey activities.
Elements Activities Notes
Preparation Introduce the topic 1. How do you clean your home?
Time: 5 minutes 2. How do you think a clean home helps
your family stay healthy?
3. What are some ways pesticides can
get into your home?
Listening Activity
Purpose: To practice listening comprehension
Time: 5 minutes
1. Tell your students that in this activity they will practice their listening
comprehension skills.
2. State that you are going to read five different sentences twice.
3. Let them know that after you finish reading the sentence for the second
time, they need to decide if the sentence is True or False.
4. At the end, check the students’ answers to make sure they are correct. If
some students do not have the right answer, invite other students to
participate in the discussion until the information is clear.
True or False?
Statement True False
1. You should take out the trash every day to keep mice and
cockroaches away from your home.
2. What two tips would you tell Jorge and his roommates about how to clean?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Developed by the National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc. – Buda, TX, with funding from the Strategies,
Opportunities and Services to Out-of-School Youth (SOSOSY) Migrant Education Program Consortium Grant (2013).
Keeping Your Home Clean
Answer Key
2. What two tips would you tell Jorge and his roommates about how to clean?
Clean the toilet and shower/bathtub with disinfectant at least once a week. Use disinfectant on
counters, tables, and stove before cooking. Clean counters and tables after every meal.
Developed by the National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc. – Buda, TX, with funding from the Strategies, Opportunities
and Services to Out-of-School Youth (SOSOSY) Migrant Education Program Consortium Grant (2013).
Keeping Your Home Clean Date: ____________________________
Pre-Assessment Name: ____________________________
Total Correct:_______
Developed by the National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc. – Buda, TX, with funding from the Strategies, Opportunities
and Services to Out-of-School Youth (SOSOSY) Migrant Education Program Consortium Grant (2013).
Keeping Your Home Clean Date: ____________________________
Post-Assessment Name: ____________________________
Developed by the National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc. – Buda, TX, with funding from the Strategies, Opportunities
and Services to Out-of-School Youth (SOSOSY) Migrant Education Program Consortium Grant (2013).